Rabbit, rabbit: August is upon us, with peak festival season in tow. Between last weekend’s Lollapalooza, this weekend’s upcoming Outside Lands, and marquee festivals like Austin City Limits on the horizon, there’s no shortage of opportunities for fans to catch a who’s-who of today’s music scene.
For those looking for something a bit off the beaten path, though, away from the city and the livestreams, look no further than Iowa’s Hinterland, a four-day festival which just concluded its eleventh edition. Fusing high-profile sets from headliners like Lorde, KATSEYE, and Kali Uchis with outdoorsy activities like hiking and disc golf, the festival (whose name refers to the land behind a river) offers a wholly unique experience in an increasingly crowded festival landscape.
beabadoobee
This year’s edition boasted a particularly eclectic lineup, ranging from rootsier acts like Mumford & Sons and The Brook & the Bluff (what is it with these guys and ampersands?) to boundary-pushing electronic acts including Frost Children and Jane Remover. We caught up with some of our favorites over the course of the weekend to snap some portraits, starting with Thursday’s stacked lineup, including Ashnikko, Audrey Nuna, beabadoobee, and Oklou.
Fresh off her Lollapalooza headlining set and her smash Ultrasound tour, Lorde brought Virgin to the grounds as Friday’s headliner. Glitch icon Ninajirachi performed that day, too, showcasing brand-new Porter Robinson collab “WannaCry;” Other highlights from the day include sets from Snow Strippers, Paris Paloma, Sofia Isella, Wisp, and MUNA. Saturday kept the good vibes rolling with performances from acts like Jessie Murph, Euro-Country queen CMAT, and the inimitable Santigold.
Ninajirachi
All of which would be more than enough for a weekend, but Hinterland brought things home with a Sunday lineup sporting a wide variety of our favorites — Suki Waterhouse, for instance, as well as Samia and Wet Leg. Audrey Hobert had a standout set (as she tends to do), and Geese continued their victory lap for Getting Killed. As Kali Uchis closed things out and the sun set on the festival, it was clear this was a weekend to remember.
WISP
Photography by Shervin Lainez
